Holster

ABSTRACT

An extremely simple but effective holster which is in the form of a strap which wraps over the top of the frame of a handgun or other firearm and is secured through the trigger guard by a releasable fastening device to hold the weapon. A safety strap may be added for additional security. The holster may be used either as a belt holster or as a shoulder holster.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Paris Theodore New York, NX. [21]Appl. No. 778,988 [22] Filed Nov. 26, 1968 [45] Patented June 8, 1971[73] Assignee Seventrees, Ltd. New York. N.Y.

[54] HOLSTER 9 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. C1 224/2 [5 l] A45f 5/02 [50] Fieldoi'Search 224/l,2.l, 2.2,2.3, 5.2, 26.1, 26.9

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 393,677 11/1888 Whyte 224/1995,458 6/191 1 Harriman 224/] 1,601,963 10/1926 Arth 224/2(.2)1,618,088 2/1927 Hinrichs 224/26(.9) 1,747,454 2/1930 Mees.......224/2(.2) 2,213,472 9/1940 Myres 224/1UX Primary ExaminerGerald M.Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham Attorney-Darby & DarbyABSTRACT: An extremely simple but effective holster which is in the formofa strap which wraps over the top of the frame of a handgun or otherfirearm and is secured through the trigger guard by a releasablefastening device to hold the weapon. A safety strap may be added foradditional security. The holster may be used either as a belt holster oras a shoulder holster.

PATENTEU JUN 8l97| 3; 5 3511 saw 1 or 2 ENT PARI HEOD E ATTORNEYSPATENTEDJUN am 3.583511 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR PARIS THEO ORE A TORNEYSIIOLSTER This invention relates generally to holsters for handguns, and.more particularly, to holsters suitable for concealment under theclothing of the wearer.

It has long been a problem of the art of holster design to provide aholster which combines security of retention with speed of access to theweapon and which is sufficiently compact to be readily concealable underthe clothing of the wearer. For example, the conventional shoulderholster provides good security of retention of the weapon, but isconsidered not to provide especially quick access to the weapon underemergency conditions. In addition, the conventional shoulder holsterrequires the use of a cumbersome harness and is rather thick and bulkyand thus difficult to conceal under the clothing. The well-knownhigh-riding belt holster provides somewhat speedier access to theweapon, but it is also rather bulky. In addition, it is often necessaryto provide a safety strap in order to more securely retain the weaponwithin the high-riding belt holster. The safety strap tends to reducethe speed with which the weapon can be brought into action.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a holster whichcombines the features of secure retention of the weapon with speedyaccess thereto.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an extremely compactholster which may be easily concealed beneath the clothing of thewearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improvedhigh-riding belt holster.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved shoulderholster.

According to the above and other objects, the present invention providesa holster which is in the form of a strap which is wrapped snugly overthe top of the frame of a handgun or other firearm and which is fastenedthrough the trigger guard by a releasable fastening device such. as asnap fastener. A safety strap which wraps around the bottom of thetrigger guard and is releasably fastened to the first strap may beoptionally provided for additional security. The holster of the presentinvention may be worn either as a belt holster or as a shoulder holster.Further, the holster of the present invention may be modified to carryweapons other than a handgun such as, for example, a shotgun, submachinegun or the like.

An advantage of the holster of the present invention is that it isextremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture. A minimum of leather orother material is used, and no stitching is required, the assembly ofthe holster preferably being accomplished by means of rivets.

Another advantage of the present holster is that it leaves the muzzle ofthe weapon free so that a weapon having an attached compensator or soundmodulator may be used without interfering with the operation of theholster.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description and accompanying drawings whichset forth the principle of the invention and, by way of example, thebest modes contemplated of carrying out that principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster of the present inventionworn on the belt of a man.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holster of the present inventionworn under the arm of a man.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the holster shown in FIG. 1 with the partsfully opened to show the construction thereof.

FIG. 4 shows the holster of FIG. 3 holding a pistol shown in phantomlines, the safety strap of the holster remaining open.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the holster of the present inventiontaken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view of the holster shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 holding a pistolwith the safety strap of the holster in the closed position. A hand isshown in phantom form with the index finger in position to release thesafety strap of the holster.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the shoulder holster shown in FIG. 2 withthe parts fully open to show the construction thereof.

FIG. 8 is a view of the holster of FIG. 7 holding a pistol with thebarrel pointed upward.

Referring now to FIG. I of the drawings, there is shown a man 1 wearinga holster 2 according to the present invention. The holster 2 is mountedon the belt 3 of man 1 and rides high on his right hip so that handgun 4is in position to be drawn by the right hand 5 of man 1.

FIG. 2 shows a man 11 wearing a shoulder holster 12 according to thepresent invention. The shoulder holster 12 is held in position beneaththe left arm 13 of man 11 by a pair of garter clips 14 and 15 which arefastened to the fabric of the shirt of man 11. A handgun 16 is suspendedfrom holster 12 with its barrel pointing upward and its handgrip l7hanging downward where it may be readily grasped by the right hand 18 ofman 11. Although the holster 12 shown in FIG. 2 is suspended in positionby garter clips 14 and 15, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that any of the various types of conventional shoulder harnessmight be employed for this purpose.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is shown a detailed viewof the high-riding belt holster 2 shown in FIG. 1 with the various partsfully opened to show the construction thereof. The holster, generallydesignated 2, includes a belt loop 21 which is preferably made of asingle piece of leather folded over to form a snug belt loop whichfirmly holds holster 2 in position on the belt 3 of the wearer. A secondpiece of leather 22 is firmly mounted on belt loop 21, preferably bymeans of rivets 23, 24, 25 and 26. Rivets 23 and 24 preferably extendthrough both thicknesses of belt loop 21 and through piece 22 tosimultaneously form the snug belt-enclosing passage of belt loop 21 andto fasten belt loop 21 to piece 22. Rivets 25 and 26 extend throughpiece 22 and only one thickness of belt loop 21 so as to fasten piece 22to belt loop 21 while leaving the belt-enclosing passage open. Whilerivets are used in the preferred embodiment of the holster 2 shown inFIG. 3, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that othermeans may be employed to fasten together the parts 21 and 22 of holster2. For example, it will be apparent that either stitches or glue mightbe employed. Rivets are preferred, however, for reasons of strength andeconomy.

Piece 22 of holster 2 has various parts or portions which cooperate tohold a handgun. A first portion 27 of piece 22 is in the form of a strapwhich wraps snugly over the top of the frame of the handgun to becarried. Portion 27 might therefore be called the top strap for purposesof identification.

Piece 22 also includes a tab portion 28 which slips through the triggerguard of the handgun to be carried, and which is fastened to top strap27 by means of a snap fastener 29 having two parts 29a and 29b, one part29a being mounted on tab portion 28, and the other part 29b beingmounted on top strap 27.

Piece 22 also includes a safety strap 30 which extends from the centralportion of piece 22 in a direction substantially opposite to that of topstrap 27. Safety strap 30 wraps around the bottom of the trigger guardof the handgun to be carried and is fastened to top strap 27 by means ofa snap fastener 31 having two parts 31a and 31b, one part 31a beingmounted near the end of safety strap 30, and the other part 31b beingmounted on top strap 27 inwardly of snap fastener part 29b. The snapfasteners 29 and 31 may be ofa conventional type such as, for example,the commercially available Dot fastener manufactured by the CarrFastener Company of New York, N.Y.

Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown the holster 2 ofFIGS. 1 and 3 carrying a handgun 4, which is in this case an automaticpistol, shown in phantom lines. The top strap 27 of holster 2 is snuglywrapped over the top of the slide 41 of automatic pistol 4. Tab 28 ofholster 2 extends through the trigger guard of pistol 4 between thetrigger 42 and the front portion 43 of the trigger guard. Tab 28 isfolded down over the front portion 43 of the trigger guard and isfastened to top strap 27 of holster 2 by the snap fastener 29. Top strap27 and tab 28 are proportioned so that when fastened together by snapfastener 29, they snugly embrace pistol 4 so as to substantially preventany movement of pistol 4 with respect to holster 2 and to permit thequick and easy release, when required, of the pistol 4 from holster 2 aswill be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

In FIG. 4, the safety strap 30 is shown in the open position in order tomore clearly illustrate the manner in which top strap 27 and tab 28cooperate to hold the pistol 4 in holster 2. It will be apparent,however, that safety strap 30 may be folded over so that part 31a mateswith part 31b of snap fastener 31. In its closed position the safetystrap 30 prevents snap fastener 29 from opening accidentally and thusprovides very secure retention of the pistol 4 in holster 2. It will beappreciated, however, that the safety strap 30 is merely optional andneed not be included unless an additional measure of security isdesired. The cooperative action of top strap 27, tab 28 and snapfastener 29 is capable of holding the pistol 4 with sufficient securityfor most applications.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pistol 4 and holster 2 takenalong the line 5-5 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows the manner in which tab 28passes through the trigger guard of the pistol 4 and is folded down overthe front portion 43 of the trigger guard so as to bring part 29a intoposition to engage part 2911 of snap fastener 29. Referring to FIG. 5 inconjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the operativeportion of snap fastener part 29a is located on the opposite side ofpiece 22 from the operative portion of snap fastener part 9b. Likewise,it will be seen that the operative portion of snap fastener part 31a islocated on the opposite side of piece 22 from the operative portion ofsnap fastener part 31b.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a detailed view ofthe holster 2 with the safety strap 30 in the closed position. A hand 5is shown in position to draw the pistol 4. The index finger 51 of hand 5is shown in position beneath the extended end portion 52 of safety strap30 in preparation for releasing the snap fastener 31 of safety strap 30.The fingers 53, 54 and 55 are in position to be wrapped around thehandgrip 56 of pistol 4.

To draw the pistol 4, the fingers 53, 54 and 55 are wrapped around thehandgrip 56 in the normal manner, and the index finger 51, locatedbetween the top strap 27 and the extended end portion 52 of safety strap30, is urged toward snap fastener 31 so as to wedge apart the two parts31a and 31b of snap fastener 31, thus causing the snap fastener 31 topop open. After the snap fastener 31 has popped open, the pistol 4 istwisted slightly in a counterclockwise direction about its barrel so asto cause snap fastener 29 to pop open thus freeing the pistol 4 for use.In practice, this twisting motion is almost imperceptible and seems tooccur as part of the natural motion of bringing the pistol 4 forward topoint at a target. Although the use of the index finger 51 to releasethe safety strap 30 may at first seem a bit unfamiliar to the user, itcan be accomplished with good facility after a modest amount ofpractice.

The leather or other material of which the holster 2 is made ispreferably fairly stiff in order to provide a good leverage for thereleasing of snap fasteners 29 and 31. For example, holster 2 ispreferably made ofleather of 8-ounce to IO-ounce weight. It will beappreciated, however, that other materials of comparable stiffness maybe employed such as, for example, a plastic-impregnated leather oflighter weight or a wholly synthetic material such as Corfam, aleatherlike material manufactured by the Du Pont Corporation ofWilmington, Del.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a detailed view of the shoulderholster 12 shown in FIG. 2 with the various parts fully opened to showthe construction thereof. The holster 12 includes a top strap 61 whichwraps snugly over the top of the frame of the handgun to be carried, anda tab portion 62 which extends through the trigger guard of the handgunand is fastened to top strap 61 by means of a snap fastener 63 havingtwo parts 63a and 6312, part 63a being mounted on tab portion 62 ofholster 12 and part 6317 being mounted on top strap 61. As in the caseof the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 36, the operative portions of the parts63a and 63b of the snap fastener 63 are located on opposite sides of thepiece of leather from which the holster 12 of FIG. 7 is made. Tab 62 isfolded upward to the position 62 shown in FIG. 7 in order to bring theoperative portion of snap fastener part 63a into mating relation withthe operative portion of snap fastener part 63b.

The shoulder holster 12 shown in FIG. 7 may be suspended in positionunder the arm of the wearer by means of a pair of conventional garterclips 64 and 65. The garter clips 64 and 65 are secured to the holster12 by means of tabs 66 and 67 which extend through the loops 68 and 69of the garter clips 64 and 65 respectively and are fastened back tothemselves by means of rivets 71 and 72. For best operation of theholster 12, the garter clips 64 and 65 are fastened adjacent the armholeof the shirt of the wearer so that the holster 12 rides snugly up underthe armpit without much slack.

'ktithbiih magma clips 64 513 as shown FRET/"1556a?" a convenient meansfor suspending the holster l2 beneath the arm of the wearer, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that other means for suspendingthe shoulder holster 12 may be employed such as, for example, one of thevarious types of conventional shoulder harnesses.

FIG. 8 shows the shoulder holster 12 of FIG. 7 carrying a handgun 16,which is in this case an automatic pistol, with its barrel pointedupward and its handgrip l7 hanging downward. The top strap 61 of holster12 is snugly wrapped over the slide 73 of automatic pistol l6 and isfastened to the tab portion 62 of holster 12 by means of the snapfastener 63. As in the case of the holster 2 shown in FIGS. 36, the topstrap 61, tab portion 62 and snap fastener 63 of holster l2 cooperate tohold pistol 16 snugly. This snug-fitting relation also provides for aquick crisp release of pistol 16 when required. As in the case of theholster 2 shown in FIGS. 36, the pistol 16 is released from the shoulderholster 12 shown in FIG. 8 by twisting the pistol l6 slightly in acounterclockwise direction about its barrel. This twisting action servesto pop open the snap fastener 63 thus freeing the pistol 16 for action.

Althoughthe 550.1132; was." 12 shown" in "was. "7' aaa's" does not havea safety strap, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thata safety strap similar to the safety strap 30 of the holster 2 shown inFIGS. 3-6 may be provided if additional security of retention of thepistol 16 is desired.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, while snap It willalso be ap 'sreaiinarorna arsiase 'Missal ployed to perform the functionof the tab portion of the holster which extends through the triggerguard of the handgun and carries the snap fastener part which mates withthe complementary snap fastener part mounted on the top strap of theholster in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Forexample, the snap fastener part might be mounted on a built-up portionor post which extends through the trigger guard of the handgun.Alternatively, a tab portion might be provided at the end of the topstrap to extend down through the trigger guard of the handgun to bringabout a mating of the snap fastener parts in that fashion. It willfurther be apparent that the end of the top strap might be provided witha built-up portion or post to extend down through the trigger 0 guard.

"tram mare? be apparent 151E556 Ek'iidiir 15 as? 'ihZt' What I claim is:

1. A holster for a firearm comprising an elongated piece of sheetmaterial having a tab portion extending therefrom at an angle to thedirection of elongation of said elongated piece of sheet material andfor at least a distance corresponding to the thickness of the triggerguard of the firearm to be carried; and a releasable fastening meanshaving two parts, the first part of said releasable fastening meansbeing mounted on said elongated piece of sheet material at a distancefrom said tab portion and the second part of said releasable fasteningmeans being mounted on said tab portion on the opposite side of saidpiece of sheet material from said first part of said releasablefastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheet material iswrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to be carried and saidtab portion is extended through the trigger guard of the firearm andwrapped over the forward portion of said trigger guard, said first andsecond parts of said releasable fastening means may be fastenedtogether, said fastening means being releasable in response to thetwisting of the firearm substantially about the barrel axis relative tosaid piece of sheet material.

2. The holster of claim 1 wherein said releasable fastening meanscomprises a snap fastener.

3. The holster of claim 1 further comprising a belt loop attached tosaid elongated piece of sheet material.

4. The holster of claim 1 further comprising means for suspending saidholster beneath the armpit of a wearer so that the barrel of the handguncarried points upward.

5. The holster of claim 4 wherein said means for suspending said holstercomprises a pair of garter clasps for attachment to the shirt of thewearer.

6. A holster for firearms comprising an elongated piece of sheetmaterial having two ends, a first releasable fastening means having twoparts, the first part of said releasable fastening means being mountedon said piece of sheet material adjacent one end thereof and the secondpart of said first releasable fastening means being mounted on saidpiece of sheet material at a distance from said first part of said firstreleasable fastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheetmaterial is wrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to becarried, said first and second parts of said first releasable fasteningmeans may be fastened together through the trigger guard of the firearm;and a second releasable fastening means having two parts, the first partof said second releasable fastening means being mounted on saidelongated piece of sheet material adjacent the remaining end thereof andthe second part of said second releasable fastening means being mountedon said elongated piece of sheet material between said first and secondparts of said first releasable fastening means so that when said firstand second parts of said first releasable fastening means are fastenedtogether through the trigger guard of the firearm and the remaining endof said elongated piece of sheet material is wrapped around the bottomof the trigger guard of the firearm, said first and second parts of saidsecond releasable fastening means may be fastened together to moresecurely hold the firearm.

7. The holster of claim 6 wherein said second part of said firstreleasable fastening means is mounted on a tab portion extending fromsaid elongated piece of sheet material a distance corresponding to thewidth of the trigger guard of the handgun to be carried.

8. The holster of claim 7 wherein said second part of said releasablefastening means is mounted on the opposite side of said elongated pieceof sheet material from said first part of said releasable fasteningmeans.

9. The holster of claim 8 further comprising a belt loop attached tosaid elongated piece of sheet material.

1. A holster for a firearm comprising an elongated piece of sheetmaterial having a tab portion extending therefrom at an angle to thedirection of elongation of said elongated piece of sheet material andfor at least a distance corresponding to the thickness of the triggerguard of the firearm to be carried; and a releasable fastening meanshaving two parts, the first part of said releasable fastening meansbeing mounted on said elongated piece of sheet material at a distancefrom said tab portion and the second part of said releasable fasteningmeans being mounted on said tab portion on the opposite side of saidpiece of sheet material from said first part of said releasablefastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheet material iswrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to be carried and saidtab portion is extended through the trigger guard of the firearm andwrapped over the forward portion of said trigger guard, said first andsecond parts of said releasable fastening means may be fastenedtogether, said fastening means being releasable in response to thetwisting of the firearm substantially about the barrel axis relative tosaid piece of sheet material.
 2. The holster of claim 1 wherein saidreleasable fastening means comprises a snap fastener.
 3. The holster ofclaim 1 further comprising a belt loop attached to said elongated pieceof sheet material.
 4. The holster of claim 1 further comprising meansfor suspending said holster beneath the armpit of a wearer so that thebarrel of the handgun carried points upward.
 5. The holster of claim 4wherein said means for suspending said holster comprises a pair ofgarter clasps for attachment to the shirt of the wearer.
 6. A holsterfor firearms comprising an elongated piece of sheet material having twoends, a first releasable fastening means having two parts, the firstpart of said first releasable fastening means being mounted on saidpiece of sheet material adjacent one end thereof and the second part ofsaid first releasable fastening means being mounted on said piece ofsheet material at a disTance from said first part of said firstreleasable fastening means such that when said elongated piece of sheetmaterial is wrapped over the top of the frame of the firearm to becarried, said first and second parts of said first releasable fasteningmeans may be fastened together through the trigger guard of the firearm;and a second releasable fastening means having two parts, the first partof said second releasable fastening means being mounted on saidelongated piece of sheet material adjacent the remaining end thereof andthe second part of said second releasable fastening means being mountedon said elongated piece of sheet material between said first and secondparts of said first releasable fastening means so that when said firstand second parts of said first releasable fastening means are fastenedtogether through the trigger guard of the firearm and the remaining endof said elongated piece of sheet material is wrapped around the bottomof the trigger guard of the firearm, said first and second parts of saidsecond releasable fastening means may be fastened together to moresecurely hold the firearm.
 7. The holster of claim 6 wherein said secondpart of said first releasable fastening means is mounted on a tabportion extending from said elongated piece of sheet material a distancecorresponding to the width of the trigger guard of the handgun to becarried.
 8. The holster of claim 7 wherein said second part of saidreleasable fastening means is mounted on the opposite side of saidelongated piece of sheet material from said first part of saidreleasable fastening means.
 9. The holster of claim 8 further comprisinga belt loop attached to said elongated piece of sheet material.